The Lord of the Rings
Summary of Book/Movie Book Series The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit (1937), but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, much of it during World War II. It is the third best-selling novel ever written, with over 150 million copies sold. The title of the novel refers to the story's main antagonist, the Dark Lord Sauron, who had in an earlier age created the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power as the ultimate weapon in his campaign to conquer and rule all of Middle-earth. From quiet beginnings in the Shire, a Hobbit land not unlike the English countryside, the story ranges across north-west Middle-earth, following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, notably the hobbits Frodo Baggins, Samwise "Sam" Gamgee, Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin "Pippin" Took, but also the hobbits' chief allies and travelling companions: Aragorn, a Human Ranger; Boromir, a man from Gondor; Gimli, a Dwarf warrior; Legolas, an Elven prince; and Gandalf, a Wizard. The work was initially intended by Tolkien to be one volume of a two-volume set, with the other being The Silmarillion, but this idea was dismissed by his publisher. It was decided for economic reasons to publish The Lord of the Rings as three volumes over the course of a year from 21 July 1954 to October 1955, thus creating the now familiar Lord of the Rings trilogy. The three volumes were entitled The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Structurally, the novel is divided internally into six books, two per volume, with several appendices of background material included at the end of the third volume. The Lord of the Rings has since been reprinted numerous times and translated into many languages. Tolkien's work has been the subject of extensive analysis of its themes and origins. Although a major work in itself, the story was only the last movement of a larger epic Tolkien had worked on since 1917, in a process he described as mythopoeia. Influences on this earlier work, and on the story of The Lord of the Rings, include philology, mythology, religion and the author's distaste for the effects of industrialization, as well as earlier fantasy works and Tolkien's experiences in World War I. The Lord of the Rings in its turn is considered to have had a great effect on modern fantasy; the impact of Tolkien's works is such that the use of the words "Tolkienian" and "Tolkienesque" has been recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary. The enduring popularity of The Lord of the Rings has led to numerous references in popular culture, the founding of many societies by fans of Tolkien's works, and the publication of many books about Tolkien and his works. The Lord of the Rings has inspired, and continues to inspire, artwork, music, films and television, video games, and subsequent literature. Award-winning adaptations of The Lord of the Rings have been made for radio, theatre, and film. Movie Series The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson and based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are, by subtitle, The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). They were distributed by New Line Cinema. Considered to be one of the biggest and most ambitious movie projects ever undertaken, with an overall budget of $285 million, the entire project took eight years, with the filming for all three films done simultaneously and entirely in Jackson's native New Zealand. Each film in the trilogy also had special extended editions released on DVD a year after their respective theatrical releases. While the films follow the book's general storyline, they do omit some of the plot elements from the novel and include some additions to and other deviations from the source material. Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the three films follow the hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) as he and a Fellowship embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring, and thus ensure the destruction of its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron. The Fellowship becomes divided and Frodo continues the quest together with his loyal companion Sam (Sean Astin) and the treacherous Gollum (Andy Serkis). Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), heir in exile to the throne of Gondor, and the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) unite and rally the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, who are ultimately victorious in the War of the Ring. The trilogy was a great financial success, with the films collectively being the ninth highest-grossing film series of all time (behind Harry Potter, James Bond, Star Wars, The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek, Spider-Man, and Batman). The films were critically acclaimed and heavily awarded, winning 17 out of 30 Academy Awards nominated in total. The final film in the trilogy, the Return of the King, won all 11 of the Academy Awards for which it was nominated, tying it with Ben-Hur and ''Titanic'' for most Academy Awards received for a film. The trilogy received wide praise for its innovative special and visual effects. Peter Jackson's ''the Hobbit'', a three-part prequel based on Tolkien's 1937 novel, is currently in production and slated for release in 2012, 2013, and 2014. For more information about the Lord of the Rings, visit here, here, or here. Appearances in MAD 'Season 1' *[[Snott Pilgrim vs. the Wonderful World of Disney / Malcolm in the Middle Earth|'Episode 13']] Malcolm in the Middle Earth: The film gets spoofed along with Malcolm in the Middle. *[[Are You Karate Kidding Me? / The Fresh Prawn of Bel-Air|'Episode 18']] Fantasy Football: The Eye of Sauron is used as an end zone. 'Season 2' *[[X Games: First Class / Criminal Minecraft|'Episode 8 (34)']] Gandalf's 3-Ring Binder: Gandalf the Grey appears in the ad parody, giving away a three-ring binder. *[[Captain American't / My Supernatural Sweet 16|'Episode 14 (40)']] Captain American't: Gollum appeared next to Captain America wielding the Ring and saying "Precious." *[[Al Pacino and the Chipmunks / That's What Super Friends Are For|'Episode 20 (46)']] Al Pacino and the Chipmunks: Peter Jackson wore an outfit straight from his own movie. *[[Garfield of Dreams / I Hate My Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|'Episode 22 (48)']] Garfield of Dreams: Peter Jackson dressed Hägar the Horrible as Frodo Baggins wielding the Ring and saying "One Viking to rule them all." *[[Potions 11 / Moves Like Jabba|'Episode 24 (50)']] Potions 11: Gandalf the Grey participates in the heist. After being crushed by a statue, he returns as Gandalf the Glitter, a stage performer at the Exmagicor. 'Season 3' *[[Betty White & the Huntsman / Ancient Greek MythBusters|'Episode 4 (56)']] Betty White & the Huntsman: Queen Clementianna (Mirror Mirror) says their movie is not a rip-off of the Lord of the Rings, unlike Snow White & the Huntsman. *[[The Mixed Martial Artist / Aquaman vs. Wild|'Episode 7 (59)']] Hobbittrails: The Hobbits from the Lord of the Rings get spoofed in the ad. *[[The Blunder Games / The Poop-seidon Adventure|'Episode 8 (60)']] Alfred E. Neuman for President: Alfred E. Neuman promises to change our mascot from the Bald Eagle to the Bald Sméagol (Gollum). *[[Twilight: Breaking Down / GOllum ON|'Episode 23 (75)']] GOllum ON: Gollum from the Lord of the Rings gets spoofed along with NBC's Go On. 'Season 4' *[[Pokémonsters, Inc. / Bane & Kate|'Episode 2 (80)']] The Gollum Go-Thin Diet: Gollum appears in the ad parody, giving away a go-thin diet. *[[Wreck It Gandalph / The Big Bird Theory|'Episode 3 (81)']] Wreck It Gandalph: Gandalf the Grey gets spoofed along with Disney's Wreck-It Ralph. *[[Jacks the Giant Slayers / The Most Beautiful Voice|'Episode 10 (88)']] Gandalf the Grey's Anatomy: Gandalf the Grey gets spoofed along with Grey's Anatomy. Category:Book Category:Movie Category:Fantasy Category:Adventure